Journal Number 106
December 2007

EDITORIAL

Karl Ludwig von Blume
By Ian St George

Wrote Collection des Orchidées les plus remarquables de l'archipel Indien et du Japon (A collection of most remarkable orchids from the East Indies and Japan) published by CG Sulpke in Amsterdam in 1858 (360 pages, 70 plates, some in colour). You can buy a copy for US$2,500 at bookfinder.com.
Happily you can look at all the pictures gratis at
http://caliban.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/~stueber/deblume/index.html.

Blume described Phaleanopsis and a number of other orchid genera. He was a German who studied medicine, worked in Java (then a Dutch possession) and later in Amsterdam. "Among the earliest of orchidologists to become as well known for his obstinacy and determination to adhere to his own principles as for his contributions.... Frustration and conflict of opinion were his companions during a major portion of his life.... It seemed that he had an astonishing capacity for work and an ambition no less great, for he collected largely and began to publish while yet little acquainted with the work already done in the scientific institutions of Europe." (http://www.orchids.co.in/orchidologists/karl-ludwig-blume.shtm). Blume's book was illustrated by different artists.

I was interested in the illustrations from his Collections because some of them show Corysanthes (see inside front cover, for example), Gastrodia and Thelymitra.

I have postulated elsewhere that the short column of Gastrodia cunninghamii and G. minor are New Zealand adaptations for self-pollination. Before now I had seen nothing to suggest that short columns existed in Gastrodia from other countries.

One of Blume's orchids does show a short column, however: Gastrodia antennifera Blume. I wonder if the short column developed independently in NZ, or whether this was an Asian development that reached NZ, bypassing Australia, none of whose Gastrodia have short columns.

PlantSystematics.org lists 60 Gastrodia species.

Detail from Blume: Gastrodia antennifera and G. gracilis. Note the short column of G. antennifera

Detail from Blume: Gastrodia javanica, G. hasseltii and G. verrucosa: all have long columns